Players Go Deep in Stroke Play Qualifying for WMGA Met Am

The qualifying round for the WMGA Metropolitan Amateur saw 17 players shoot under par in the quest for qualifying spots in the 32 player match play bracket.  Match play begins on Friday, August 4 with the rounds of 32 and 16 being played.   125 players teed it up for the 32 spots.  Sebastian Bonte, the 2022 champion and exempt from qualifying, did not play, which opened the 32nd spot to the field.

Hayden Miller, from Leesburg, Va., and a member of the Radford University Golf Team, led all scorers with a 66 (-5).  There were three 67’s – Luke Schaap, Jack Pogorelc, and Kevin Johnson.  At 68 were Aryan Vuradi and Kevin Johnson, winner of the Bubby Worsham Memorial earlier in the week.  Six were at 69, five at 70, five at even par 71, and nine at one over 72, rounding out the top 30.  Ian Patterson, playing in the last group of the day, brought home a 72, decreasing the number of spots to from 3 to 2.  Two more competitors were now needed for the 31st and 32nd spots.

With the end of the day drawing to a close, the play-off began as soon as the scores were approved.  12 of the 15 players at 73 were present and they went down the first hole in three groups of four.  The standard practice is for each group to play the hole and then wait for the following groups to conclude play.  If need be, the groups will continue on, typically with fewer players/groups.  The players provided the committee with a huge break.  Patrick McCarthy, in the first group, birdied the hole while the other three made pars.  In the second foursome, Grant Lester made birdie against three pars.  No one in the final group made a birdie so the two birdies advanced – McCarthy as the 31 seed and Lester as the 32 seed.  The day came to and end and daylight was just about gone.

The youngest player in the field at 15 years and 2 months, Rory Sheahan from the Argyle CC, shot a 69 (-2).  He joined fellow Argyle members Luke Schaap, Matt Barnes, and Grant Lester in the match play bracket.

Of the four Past Champions in the field only one made it to match play – Matt Barnes (2021) safely advanced with a 72.  Brian Marfori (2003), Mike Blasey (2015), and Charlie Winegardner (2018) failed to advance.

The University of Maryland golf course was played at just under 6,700 yards for the stroke play qualifier and will be stretched each day close to 7,000 yards.  The par is 71.  For the college players, longer is better!

Full field results and start times are on the event portal ⇒ HERE

Hayden Miller – WMGA Met Am Medalist – 66 (-5)

mnc 8/3/2023